Sections of westbound Bel-Red Road, between Northeast 16th Street and 143rd Avenue Northeast, along with a stretch of Northeast 16th Place, will be closed from the first week in January to March 2009 while crews working for King County repair a severely corroded sewer line.

In general, the trenching and pipe repair work will take place on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., but crews occasionally will work as late as 10 p.m. Weekend work will be done from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sewage bypass pumps will need to run 24 hours a day during the project.

During the work, crews will need to close the westbound curb lane of Bel-Red Road from Northeast 20th Place to 134th Avenue Northeast. The sidewalk on the north side of Bel-Red Road will be closed from 134th to 143rd Avenue Northeast, though the bus stop just west of 140th Avenue will remain accessible. Flaggers will direct traffic during busy commute times.

Drivers can expect significant delays at times, especially when crews dig trenches at the busy intersection of Bel-Red Road and 140th Avenue. The work at this intersection will be done on weekends to minimize delays, but travelers will be asked to avoid the area during construction.

The project, by the county's Wastewater Treatment Division, is part of a program to control corrosion caused by hydrogen sulfide, a gas found in sewer pipes and other locations. Repairs to the badly corroded segment are needed to prevent a pipe collapse or raw sewage leak.

Bellevue's Traffic Advisories page has the latest information on projects affecting Bellevue streets and highways. People with questions or concerns about the project can call King County's construction information hotline at 206-205-3884.